The head of Egypt's Coptic Church is criticizing the country's Islamist president over his response to sectarian violence, which killed at least five Christians over the weekend.

A mob threw firebombs and rocks at a crowd of Christians outside Cairo's largest cathedral on Sunday. One believer died in that attack. The crowd was protesting the deaths of four other Christians in sectarian violence over the weekend.

Pope Tawadros II told an Egyptian broadcast network Tuesday that President Mohammad Morsi had vowed to protect the cathedral, but did nothing to stop the attack. He said the president acted with negligence.

"The church has been a national symbol for 2,000 years," Tawadros said. "It has not been subjected to anything like this even during the darkest ages ... There has been no positive and clear action from the state."

"But there is a God," he added. "The church does not ask for anyone's protection, only from God."